online_news_for_the_millennial_userfandomcom-20200213-history
Design and Layout of Five Online News Sources
There are a multitude of online news sources available to Internet users, but how one site differentiates itself from its competitors sets it apart for the audience. Branching from the aesthetics of a site, user likability is a primary indicator of which site users will choose for their primary news source. According to a study (Phillips, 2009), "The importance of visual appeal of websites has shown that aesthetics play an important role in first impression of a website and that they may form in as little as 50 milliseconds." Therefore, it is of utmost importance for different news sources to differentiate their sites through page design and layout. A ranking of user's final impressions of web pages based on aesthetic appeal is shown in the chart below. Users who ranked the web page as having a "High Appeal" wanted to spend more time on the site and trusted the site more. This section of my Wiki will explore five different news sources and the effect of page design and layout on their choice of news source. The five news sources I examined are: CNN, The New York Times, Vice Media, BuzzFeed and Reddit. If you haven't heard of one or a few of those sources, I will go into more detail about their content below. Then, I will go into detail why each online publication is popular or not popular and why users prefer one to the other. For a quick scan of their front pages, look at the slideshow below. Screen Shot 2014-06-25 at 12.21.14 PM.png|link=cnn.com|linktext=CNN Front Page Screen Shot 2014-06-25 at 12.22.08 PM.png|link=nytimes.com|linktext=New York Times Front Page Screen Shot 2014-06-25 at 12.22.46 PM.png|link=vice.com|linktext=Vice Front Page Screen Shot 2014-06-25 at 12.23.16 PM.png|link=buzzfeed.com|linktext=BuzzFeed Front Page Screen Shot 2014-06-25 at 12.23.42 PM.png|link=reddit.com|linktext=Reddit Front Page '''CNN: '''The Cable News Network (CNN) debuted its online website on August 30, 1995. It attracted users during its first year online and has been growing a following ever since. In particular, blogs, social media and user-generated content (UGC) has influenced the site. In April 2009, CNN.com was ranked third place among global news sites online in the U.S., according to Nielsen/Net Ratings, with an increase of 11% over the previous year. CNN was television's first 24-hour all-news service. CNN follows a red themed page design, with a white backdrop. The first thing one will see on the page is the CNN logo, or a large world symbol, residing next to the large CNN bubble letters, located near the top left of the page. Looking down, "Breaking News" is the first headline the audience's eyes will come to, with a short line of text leading to another page. Then one will notice the large pictures in the forefront of the page, even before scrolling to the headlines-- and this is key-- without an attractive visual, audiences are more likely to switch to another news source. Visuals are more likely to keep a user captivated and stay on the page, so CNN does a good job by visually drawing in users. If a user were to scroll past the large pictures, the middle section of the CNN page is split into three columns of headlines, accompanying a couple small pictures. The furthest column on the right demonstrates an interactive portion of the site-- highlighting weather updates, social media sites, and what is featured on TV today. The middle section appears very unattractive to one's eyes because looking at big chunks of text isn't very appeasing, especially in a bland grey color. This highlights CNN's traditional style. They differentiate themselves by sticking to easy patterns and color schemes. The red differentiates CNN in the news world just like Target does with red in the retail world. Overall, CNN has a mediocre design and layout; however, the site relies more on its name as a differentiator in the marketplace, producing a large number of site views daily. '''The New York Times: '''This publication originated on September 18, 1851 in New York City in print. Its website is one of America's most popular new sites, receiving more than 30 million unique visitors per month, as reported in January 2011. The paper's motto , "All News that's Fit to Print," is known worldwide; the website adopted the version, "All News that's Fit to Click." The New York Times website ranks 59th by number of unique visitors. One of the most prominent features of the NYT website is that is resembles its print version as closely as possible, which has many upsides and downsides. One upside to the layout is that is resonates with print readers, who are used to reading the "newsy" layout. The print readers can therefore use the website with ease and have little to no problem navigating the site. Another upside to the site is clarity-- there aren't too many icons, different colors or fonts crowding the page-- one simple font is used in all black and white. Because of the simple black and white theme, the images pop on the screen with vibrant colors compared to the black and white background. The NYT web page is an example of a news source sticking to a classic theme; this way, the pubilcation can retain its existing print users who may or may not have read the paper version. But, the online site also has its downsides due to its bland color theme. It is hard to attract new users to a page that is not visually appealing and has the same layout as a newspaper. Many come to the Web for a change of pace, not intending to read an online newspaper but rather a colorful, appealing page. Many users are lost to the NYT because of its plain and boring aesthetics. The design and layout of the NYT may not be appealing, but the source is reliable, so maybe adapting to modern day layouts is the only thing left for the publication to do. '''Vice Media: '''This publication was orginially a quirky, arts and culture magazine founded in 1994 in Quebec, Canada. Years later, it transformed into Vice Media, adding a film production company, website, record label and publishing imprint. The style of journalism is known as "Immersionist," in which final articles are focused on the experiences the journalists immersed themselves into rather than the writer. Immersion journalism breaks away from traditional journalism, allowing the writer to interpret his experiences as his own. The interface of Vice is loud, exciting and visually entertaining. Each day, the online site features one story with a picture that practically takes up one's entire computer screen. It's encapsulating. The featured picture is never dull, with a headline and a one to two sentence description written on top of the large image. The benefit of Vice's design branches directly from their immersionist writing style. The news site has the option of headlining risky pictures, ones that ethically would not fit on CNN's or the NYT's home page. This added flair differentiates Vice from its online counterparts. The layout also is easy to navigate and use. As a new user myself, the two-column layout is an exciting prospect for an online news source. This news site isn't one for traditional news, so the downside lies in the content, not the design. Vice is a niche site for a younger, hipper audience, one that provides news in any easy, accessible design and layout. '''BuzzFeed: '''This news source is a social news and entertainment website founded in 2006 in New York City by Jonah Peretti. In 2012, Ben Smith of Politico was hired as Editor-in-Chief, holding responsibility for the upkeep and transformation of the site into a serious journalism site. Though Smith enabled more of a traditional news medium content-wise, the site continues to be trademarked on its popular, fun and entertainment-oriented design. The design and layout of BuzzFeed is overwhelming to an average news reader. Blurbs pop, flash and jump at visitors, as the news sits in the background. The design of the site is centered around a "buzzworthy" theme. Colors galore, pictures of memes, Miley Cyrus and Fourth-of-July to-dos, there isn't much content one can't find on BuzzFeed. Design-wise, the site is messy. With a three-column layout, navigating the site seems like it would be a breeze, but with the added "fun factor," this site has a multitude of distractions. The color scheme is one of the biggest problems on the site-- nothing is static-- not the headlines, the blurbs, or the captions. If there is one thing BuzzFeed needs to work on, it's layout and design. Though it's colorful and fun, it isn't a user-friendly site. The most "buzzworthy" thing about this site's design is its screams for help. '''Reddit: '''This news source is an entertainment, social networking service and news website where registered users can submit content, such as text posts or direct links (Wikipedia, 2014). Only registered users can vote the submissions "up" or "down." The submissions ranking's determine the post's position on the site. Content entries are organized by areas of interest called "subreddits." The design of Reddit looks like a typical Microsoft Word page with hyperlinks. It's not appealing at first because of the blue hyperlink, one-column layout. With a content compiling site like Reddit, it takes the interest of the user to register and contribute. Reddit is a content-driven site; however, the creators of Reddit haven't put that much effort into design. As Steve Krug says in his book analyzing site design, "I think it's safe to say that users don't mind a lot of clicks as long as each click is painless and they have continued confidence that they're on the right track." He continues to say that three mindless clicks is equal to one click that requires thought. Reddit is the site where it requires meticulous thought to click a link because every hyperlink looks the same. It's very unattractive to a user because of this bland layout and the minimal use of pictures. Though it is a user content-driven site, the manager of the site maintains control and needs to make a more enticing design if he wants to attract and retain more users to Reddit. The upside to Reddit is that it isn't crowded and overly colorful like BuzzFeed. It's simple design makes it easy on the eyes and easy to use.